Diefenbacher gets Opel works status

The 20-year-old finished third in last year's series, only losing the title due to a yellow flag infringement at the final round, and remains in the category to drive an Opel-powered Dallara F302, run by Bert Schafer Racing. Diefenbacher joins Italian team-mate Vitantonio Liuzzi and fellow countryman Timo Glock of the Swiss KMS team, while another Italian, Mirco Venturi, will also be backed by the marque.

"Frank Diefenbacher is one of the most talented German drivers," said Opel motorsport boss Volker Strycek. "His performance during last year's season, including four wins, has demonstrated his potential. We have now signed four 20-year-olds as junior works drivers, and they are giving us every reason to expect a lot of them."

Diefenbacher's Opel-Dallara will be liveried in the colours of Opel Performance Center (OPC), as will those of Glock and Venturi. Liuzzi and the third BSR driver, Bernhard Auinger, will sport Red Bull sponsorship. Opel's BSR and KMS teams are exclusively equipped with Opel's new two-litre 16V engine.

The German series starts this weekend (April 20/21) at Hockenheim.